PERCEPTIONS AND EXPERIENCES OF NEW MOTHERS WHO ARE HAVING A DIFFICULT TIME A STUDY ON SELECTED MOTHERS FROM THE METRO MANILA AREA

CRISTABEL D. FAGELA-TIANGCO
M.A. Psychology (June 2009)
Department of Psychology

Abstract

The study focused on new mothers who are having a difficult time. Forty women from the Metro Manila area participated in the study. They were selected based on a set of inclusion criteria, specifically, mothers: (a) in the 21-30 year old age group; (b) who had one child, aged 1-6; (c) who are married; and, (d) who report feeling exhausted, find mothering difficult, or do not find the experience of mothering pleasurable.

The researcher wanted to know in what ways the participants’ role perceptions of mothering as well as how the self, the child, the husband, and other people contributed to the quality of the mothering experience.

Data was gathered using the in-depth interview. The responses were grouped according to thematic similarities and placed in appropriate categories, as indicated in the conceptual model.

Study results suggest that the difficulty experienced by this group of mothers may be due to having unrealistic expectations, role ambiguity, and insufficient social supports.